The Expanse, a TV adaptation of James SA Corey’s collection of novels of the identical title, has been met with crucial acclaim because it debuted in 2016 on Syfy. When the present made the bounce to Amazon Prime Video in 2019, its legions of devoted followers adopted — and for good cause. The Expanse is timeless storytelling in addition to strong science fiction.
It leans into exhausting sci-fi, a time period its creator’s draw back from, although the collection does depict very believable tech and stays true to the legal guidelines of physics. And, like several good sci-fi story, The Expanse additionally encompasses a compelling solid of characters. Nonetheless, lacking among the many ranks of each the believable tech and the compelling solid are AI and humanoid robots. So, for all its sci-fi steadfastness, why doesn’t The Expanse characteristic AI or robotics like most outstanding sci-fi media does?
What Is The Expanse About?
Set a whole lot of years sooner or later, The Expanse follows a number of teams of characters as they navigate a Photo voltaic System that’s been colonized by people. The System’s three largest powers embrace the United Nations of Earth and Luna; the Congressional Republic of Mars; and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) — particularly, settlers on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn in addition to these alongside the asteroid belt. To not point out, Mars is an ever-growing unbiased navy energy.
The place there’s a rising militant presence, there’s certain to be strife. On the present’s begin, Earth and Mars are entangled in a chilly battle of types, and it’s as much as UN member Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) to forestall an all-out battle between the 2 powers. Elsewhere, Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), a detective from the OPA asteroid belt, tracks down a lacking lady, Julie Mao.
The detective’s story collides with that of the crew of the Rocinante (or “Roci” for brief) — previously, a Martian gunship the crew escaped on. Led by James Holden (Steven Strait), the Rocinante’s preliminary crew consists of Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar), and Amos Burton (Wes Chatham).
With out delving an excessive amount of into spoiler territory, suffice to say that the disparate protagonists all begin to pull at, and slowly unravel, some extremely mysterious threads, placing themselves on the heart of a Photo voltaic System-wide conspiracy. And if navigating a chilly battle and darkish secrets and techniques weren’t sufficient, there’s additionally a touch of existential disaster introduced on by the invention of alien tech.
Why Aren’t There Robots or AI in The Expanse?
Whereas many followers love that The Expanse stays true to its exhausting sci-fi roots, the shortage of robotics undoubtedly stands out. Given the present’s setting — the menacing vacuum of house — it’s solely logical to assume that robots would serve a useful function. Sure, there are drones and different superior equipment, however there aren’t any humanoid robots taking over a few of the extra grueling, harmful duties that crop up. Even the Roci boasts some traits of synthetic intelligence — however there’s no really sentient AI to talk of within the present.
For some viewers, this lack of superior robotics and AI takes them out of the world of the present. It’s exhausting, they argue, to droop disbelief in that means. However no matter one’s emotions on the exclusion of AI and robotics in The Expanse, it’s clearly a deliberate alternative on the a part of the authors (James SA Corey is the pen title of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), and one thing present creators Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby held true to for a cause.
At face worth, a Hugo and Saturn Award-winning present that lacks humanoid robots and AI is sort of shocking. However the option to exclude these key features of sci-fi boils right down to the story the writer(s) needed to inform in The Expanse. In a Reddit AMA from 2017, James SA Corey expanded upon why there’s a scarcity of AI and robots in each the books and TV collection. Corey posted in response to a Redditor’s query:
“What we have now is uncommented automation […] The Roci is consistently described as good, and Naomi is at all times giving it complicated duties to work on […] Should you imply AI as in self-aware or sentient machines? Yeah, we keep away from that as a result of we’re each form of bored by it. People are way more attention-grabbing.”
Lengthy story quick, The Expanse doesn’t deal with AI or robotics as a result of that’s not the story that the books’, present’s, and even online game’s creators are excited by telling. However the assertion that the world of The Expanse doesn’t comprise AI or robotics can also be false. As an alternative of parsing such technological improvements out into humanoid robots, people have built-in AI into their on a regular basis know-how. To them, AI and robotics aren’t exceptional — it’s simply the stuff of on a regular basis life.
All seasons of The Expanse can be found to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
